By Donna Cornelius
Birmingham was once again well represented when the 2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists were announced Jan. 25.
Timothy Hontzas of Johnny’s Restaurant is on the semifinalist list for Best Chef in the South. This is the sixth year the talented chef known for his Greek-and-three menu at the popular Homewood eatery has been a semifinalist.
Last year, he advanced as a finalist in the same category, which includes chefs from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Puerto Rico. Last year, Adam Evans of Birmingham’s Automatic Seafood was the winner in this division.
Frank and Pardis Stitt’s Bottega is a semifinalist this year for outstanding hospitality. Stitt’s flagship restaurant, Highlands Bar and Grill, won top honors as the 2018 Beard Awards’ Most Outstanding Restaurant, and Highlands’ Dolester Miles was named Outstanding Pastry Chef that same year.
A newcomer to the roster of Birmingham culinary luminaries is Pizza Grace, a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. Chef Ryan Westover and his wife, Helene Jones, opened the restaurant last year in the Mercantile on Morris development in downtown Birmingham. Known for its three-ingredient dough and fresh ingredients, Pizza Grace already has built a loyal fan base during its short time in the Magic City.
In addition to Miles, Evans and Highlands Bar and Grill, past Beard winners from the Birmingham area include Chris Hastings in 2012 for Best Chef in the South, the Bright Star in Bessemer in 2010 as an America’s Classic winner, and Frank Stitt in 2001 for Best Chef in the Southeast.
Finalists for the 2023 James Beard Awards will be announced March 29. The winners will be revealed at a glittering ceremony June 5 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera.
The 2023 Restaurant and Chef semifinalists are recognized across 23 categories, including an award that’s new this year: Outstanding Bakery.
You can find the full list of semifinalists at jamesbeard.org.
For food enthusiasts, here’s a little trivia about the Beard Awards, dubbed the “Oscars” of America’s food industry:
• The awards are named for James Beard, a chef and cookbook author who was known as the “Dean of American Cookery.”
• While most people probably think of Beard’s good friend Julia Child for her pioneering TV cooking shows, it was actually Beard who had the first ever televised cooking show, “I Love to Eat,” in the United States.
• After Beard’s death in 1985, Child, Peter Kump and other chefs and friends of Beard bought his New York City townhouse and established the James Beard Foundation.
• The first James Beard Awards were presented in 1991. Journalist George Plimpton and actor Jill St. John were the ceremony’s co-hosts. Among the winners and nominees were chefs Rick Bayless, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Nancy Silverton, David Bouley and Charlie Trotter and food writer M.F.K. Fisher.
• Food Network televised the awards ceremony for a few years in the 1990s.
• This year’s Awards Committee chairperson is Tanya Holland, a chef and restaurateur who owns the highly regarded Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland, California. You might know her for her appearances on several food-themed TV shows, including season 15 of Bravo’s “Top Chef.”
